Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is a practice that uses both cognitive therapy and mindfulness principles.
What it helps with
How it works
Early on
You and your counsellor look at how stress or a low mood pulls you into old thinking habits, like going over the same worry again and again.
As you go
Together you try short practices, such as mindful breathing or a body scan. You learn to see a thought as a thought, not a fact.
Over time
You practise at home between sessions and talk about what you noticed. You and your counsellor decide together how long to keep going.
Not sure? A free consultation can help you choose.
Where
About
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is a practice that uses both cognitive therapy and mindfulness principles. This therapy was invented by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale with an aim to help people realize the nature of their unproductive thinking patterns and react to them in more constructive ways. Initially, MBCT was created to prevent people from developing depression but is now used to assist people with anxiety and other emotional difficulties.
Unlike other therapies, MBCT does not suggest ignoring negative thoughts but teaches people to become aware of them without passing judgment on them and thus minimizing their influence on people.
MBCT operates under the assumption that one can be trapped in habitual ways of thinking. Such habitual ways of thinking tend to emerge when an individual is stressed or experiencing negative moods.
Rather than engaging in such habitual ways of responding to emotions and thoughts, MBCT encourages people to stop and pay attention to what they are thinking, feeling, and doing with curiosity and without judgment.
This allows for learning that not all thoughts have to be believed and that thoughts and feelings do not have to control one’s life and responses.
MBCT is a technique that brings mindfulness training together with cognitive-based practices.
In the therapeutic sessions, patients will learn how to:
The therapists teach patients how to do all of the above in a safe setting.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy can help people:
Potential benefits of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy may include:
This therapy may also be useful for people wishing to become more mindful and learn more effective ways of coping with life situations.
Through No Fear Counselling, our skilled therapists conduct sessions of MBCT for our clients, enabling them to gain more awareness, decrease their emotional distress, and increase well-being.
The following are some of the problems that our counsellors can assist with: anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, and transitions. As per the needs of the client, MBCT can be combined with methods such as ACT Therapy, CBT Therapy, DBT, and Person-Centered Therapy.
We provide both in-person and online counselling services in Canada.
You should not let stress and negativity dictate the terms of your life. The approach of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is capable of helping you acquire more awareness, balance of emotions, and improved coping mechanisms.
At No Fear Counselling, we provide MBCT in Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, Langley, Victoria, and Penticton, and also online counselling for Canada as a whole.
Contact us now and set up a free consultation with our therapist!
Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2013). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
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In a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) session, you and your counsellor mix short mindfulness practices with talking about your thoughts. You might try a few minutes of mindful breathing, then notice a thought like 'I always mess up' without arguing with it. You may also try a body scan, which means slowly moving your attention through your body. You often leave with a small practice to try at home.
MBCT and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) both look at how thoughts affect your mood, but they do it in different ways. In CBT, you often write a thought down and look for other ways to see it. In MBCT, you learn to notice the thought with curiosity and let it pass, without having to change it. Some people find one fits them better, and a counsellor can help you choose.
No, you do not need any meditation experience to start MBCT. Your counsellor guides each practice step by step, and practices often start short, with just a few minutes. It is common for your mind to wander, and gently noticing that is part of the skill. You can share as much or as little as you like about what comes up.
Many people find MBCT can help with depression and anxiety, especially when the same low or worried thoughts keep coming back. It may help you notice the early signs of a dip in mood, such as pulling away from friends, and respond with care instead of getting swept along. It does not replace medical care, so talk with a doctor or nurse practitioner about any medication questions.
Yes, MBCT can be done by video, and you can meet in person or online from anywhere in BC. Many people find breathing practices and body scans easy to do from a quiet spot at home. Our intake team suggests counsellors who fit what you need, your language, your budget and where you want to meet.